A Single Hair
by Blonde-Titch
Summary: Lily Evans was 15 years old and obsessed with a tree. At least, that’s how her older sister put it. Oneshot


**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

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**A Single Hair**

Lily Evans was 15 years old and obsessed with a tree. At least, that's how her older sister put it.

It was July and the neighbour peering over a fence saw a teenage girl with flaming red hair walk quickly across the street and through a small gate between two houses.

The neighbours eyes narrowed as they surveyed the girl, who had spent the last few years at a mysterious boarding school and had since become something of a local mystery, and then flicked upwards as something flickered in an upstairs window. The girl's sister was looking curiously down at her, and the woman stepped smartly backwards and started hanging up her washing.

Lily, on the other hand, hadn't noticed her neighbours curious gaze and slipped neatly into the passageway between the two houses. Two garden hedges towered up on either side of her, throwing ominous shadows across her, and a bird cried from above her. It was easy to forget the busy road that ran a few miles from her house when you were here, and even more so when you reached the end.

She appeared on a field, a spread of yellow and green stretching out to the road on the other side, where tiny cars sped silently along, occasionally chased by a bright white or red lorry.

Lily walked carefully along the track along on side, pushing the long blades of grass out of the way until she reached the corner furthest from the road. An old willow tree was placed here, its long, waving branches reaching downward to brush the ground below. The tree always reminded Lily of an old man, bent over with age and creaking grumpily whenever the wind pressed against it.

Lily broke into a run, forgetting about the grass tangling round her ankles and legs and plunged into the branches. Immediately they began to rustle, a low, comfortable noise urging her on. She felt like an explorer, reaching out through the trailing branches into the dark depths beyond.

She broke through into the small area between the branches and trunk and stumbled to a halt. She grinned and threw her head back, surveying the branches above her with interest. The sun broke through a gap between two branched and she flicked her head to one side, squinting as the white light burst into the tree.

She could peer through the weaving leaves to see the road and meadow, safe in the knowledge no' one could see her. That was one of the reasons she liked being here. No' one could see her. She wasn't subject to the neighbours enquiring looks and searching questions, or her sisters sneers and sarcastic comments. She was even free from her parents compliments and the proud glint in their eyes.

Lily loved her house, but whenever she came back from Hogwarts she couldn't help but feel like the odd one out. She sighed quietly and ran a hand across the branches, causing them to ripple and still, the world beyond shimmering and then falling back into place. She felt trapped between two worlds, not knowing which to turn to. There was her muggle world, with her family and the cartoons on Saturday mornings, and there was her Wizarding world, with potions lessons and exploding snap.

And then there was here, the place in between. This tree was the place that Lily could be herself, both muggle and witch, and feel accepted for who she was.

Sighing, she sat down on one of the roots that was emerging form the ground and lent her head against the trunk. She reached into her jeans pocket and produced a small black notebook and a blue biro. Balancing them in her hands for a moment, she glanced back out at the world behind the barrier and then began to write.

A while later, she didn't know how long, she snapped the diary shut and shoved it and the pen back into her pocket. She stretched her legs out in front of her so that her feet disappeared into the branches surrounding her, opening a small chink for her to peer out of. As she did, she felt remarkably calm, as if the inner battle inside of her had paused for a while.

A birds stark cry shot through her daydream, and she stared upwards, shielding her face with her hand to protect her eyes from the glaring sunlight, which was appearing through a large gap in the natural roof above her. A dark bird blocked the light for a second before hurtling towards its unknown destination.

Lily stood up, stretching upwards, and parted the branches, which didn't seem so thick now, with a deft movement. As she slipped out she didn't notice something she'd left behind. A single hair, glinting scarlet in the sudden light. As the branches fell across and darkened the small area, it dulled to a deep red.

As the wind blew through the tree and the sun set, the hair wavered, but did not escape and fly away. It stayed where it was, strong enough to survive the wind despite its fragile appearance. A single hair, resting where it felt most secure, in the place where two worlds met.

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**A note from the author: **This is just me trying to get rid of my writers block – but, anyway,I hope you guys like it! Thanks to **moonbeam333**on fictionalley for the title! 


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